I began practicing yoga in 2001. I was attracted to it because of both the physical and psychological benefits you can gain from developing a personal practice. Yoga has helped me to improve both my performance in several sporting pursuits and my overall wellness.

I am trained in vinyasa (flow), hatha, yin, restorative and advanced therapeutic yoga practices. I also have 20 years of experience in the coaching profession. During that time I have developed a unique and proven teaching methodology that has help many people achieve their athletic goals at every level.

I have now applied that methodology to what and how I teach people while on the yoga mat.

Athlete

Growing up I spent my time either on the field, track or in the pool. At an early age I discovered a love for the sport of swimming and began to spend the majority of my time at the pool. I was fortunate to be part of a tremendous age group program in Regina where at one point we were the best age group team in the country. As an age group swimmer I was ranked in the top five in the country and was part of relay teams that set several national age group records. One of those records still stands today, 28 years after we set it!

I unfortunately developed a shoulder injury that necessitated surgery at the age of 16. That is when I decided to start putting my time and effort into coaching. I also shifted my focus to competing in triathlons where at the age of 19 I was one of the best age group triathletes in Ontario and was only a few places away from qualifying to compete at the World Championships.

My passion for fitness and the outdoors has led me continue an extremely active lifestyle which includes yoga, trail running, rock climbing and kayaking. In fact this year (2016) I competed in my first ultra distance trail race call the Knee Knacker, which spans 30 miles and involves 8,000 feet of climbing.

Coach

I started my coaching career at the age of 16 with the Dorado Stars Swim Club in Caledon, Ontario.

My passion for the vocation and a thirst for knowledge took me to Vancouver, B.C. where I earned a diploma in Coaching from Douglas College. During that time I was also the Assistant Head Coach of the Pacific Sea Wolves Swim Club, the co-founder of the Langley Olympians Swim Club and apprenticed under some fantastic coaches including; Randy Bennett (coach of Olympic silver and bronze medalist Ryan Cochrane), Tom Johnson (coach of Olympic bronze medalist Brent Hayden) and several more.

During the 1999-2000 season I attended the National Coaching Institute-Calgary where I earned a diploma in High Performance Coaching and at the time became the youngest NCCP level IV swim coach in the country. While I was in Calgary I had the opportunity to do a mentorship with elite coaches Jan Bidrman and Mike Blondal. I assisted them with their group that was preparing for the 2000 Olympics, a group that included world record holder Penny Heyns and Olympic medalist Curtis Myden. During my time in Calgary I did not only learn from two amazing coaches, but I was able to gain knowledge and insight from some of the best physiologists, sports psychologists, biomechanists and strength trainers in the world.

Throughout my coaching career I have been successful in growing and developing several age group teams. I have also coached several of the country's top age group athletes and guiding multiple varsity athletes to top three finishes at the Canadian Interniversity Sport (CIS) Championships.

I have also had the tremendous opportunity to spend time with and learn from some of the best coaches in the history of the sport including; Bob Bowman, Eddie Reese, Michael Bohl, Dave Salo, Bud McAllister, Randy Reese, Rick Demont and Paul Yetter.

During my years in the coaching profession I also worked with several triathletes and have coached over 50 athletes who have competed in several Ironman competitions including Marilyn MacDonald who eventually became one of the top professionals in the world.

The knowledge and experience I have gained in my coaching career allows me to have a unique insight into the needs of an athletes and what benefits they can gain from a yoga practice. This insight enables me to work closely with coaches to understand and work within the training plan that they are using with their athletes and to design a program that will help them achieve their goals more efficiently and effectively.

Wellness

Throughout my life I have dealt with many health challenges which have included athletic injuries such as shoulder tendinitis, several bone breaks, multiple concussions and a herniated disc.

My most significant and life altering injury was due to a car accident that happened in 2010. The injuries I sustained in the accident led me to eventually need spinal surgery. After my spinal surgery my medical team and I used yoga as part of my rehabilitation.

Incredibly in five months we were able to reach our goal of getting of becoming healthy enough to take my 200-hour yoga teacher training.

I have also been challenged with a mental illness. In 2001 I was diagnosed with Bipolar II Disorder. Since that time I have been able to develop and use a wellness plan that has been very successful. A big part of that plan is my personal yoga practice. Although I still suffer the symptoms of this illness they have become a lot less significant. A huge contributing factor in my wellness has been the mindfulness practices involved in yoga and my improved body awareness, which allows me to have a greater understanding of how my symptoms effective not only my emotions, but my physical wellbeing.

Because of these experiences I have gained a huge insight on how to apply a yoga practice in a way that helps promote wellness both physically and psychologically.